1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing reel comprising a reel body, a spool rotatably supported by the reel body through a spool shaft, a handle shaft rotatably supported by the reel body, a first and a second main gears rotatably mounted on the handle shaft, a shifter for transmitting rotation of the handle shaft selectively to one of the first and second main gears, a first and a second pinion gears rotatably mounted on the spool shaft and constantly meshed with the first and second main gears, respectively, a clutch element disposed between the pinion gears and spool for making and breaking torque transmission between the pinion gears and spool, and a clutch lever for operating the clutch element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional fishing reel, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Kokai No. 63-163165 for example, a drag mechanism is provided between an end of the spool shaft and the spool. The entire spool shaft is axially movable to act as a clutch for breaking an interlock between the pinion gears and the spool.
In a fishing reel having only a pair of a main gear and a pinion gear, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-13359, a non-circular portion is defined on the spool shaft adjacent the pinion gear, with an engaging tube portion defined integral with the pinion gear for engaging the non-circular portion. The pinion gear is movable axially of the spool shaft whereby the non-circular portion and the engaging tube portion act as a clutch for breaking an interlock between the pinion gear and the spool.
The former known construction has the disadvantage of requiring a large and complicated construction, which is costly, for axially moving the entire spool shaft. In view of the latter known construction, it is conceivable to devise a modification wherein the pinion gears are movably supported on the spool shaft, with the non-circular portion and engaging portion acting as a clutch.
It is an important requirement of a fishing reel that the spool is rotatable at high speed. Thus, it is necessary for the pinion gears to have as high rotating ratios with respect to the main gears as possible, and to have as small diameters as possible. It also is an important requirement to avoid wide variations of the rotating ratios resulting from operation of the shifter. With the small first and second pinion gears having slightly different diameters, the rotating ratios could inadvertently vary to excessive extents. Therefore, the first and second pinion gears are required to have small diameters which are not very different.
However, according to the modification made in view of the latter known construction, the first and second main gears must be separated axially of the spool shaft in order to avoid interference between teeth of the main gears and teeth of the pinion gears when moving the pinion gears axially of the spool shaft. As a result, the reel has increased dimensions axially of the spool shaft, thereby becoming cumbersome to handle.